Dubioza kolektiv

Dubioza kolektiv was formed in 2003[7][10] by Brano Jakubović,[11][12] Vedran Mujagić, Almir Hasanbegović and Adis Zvekić with the merger of two musical groups, Ornament and Gluho doba.[13][4][12] The band originates from Sarajevo[12] and Zenica.[14][12] Dubioza kolektiv initially also featured a female vocal, but the singer, Adisa Zvekić, eventually left the group to pursue a solo career.[4] The group's performances have been multilingual (Bosnian and English) ever since the band's inception.[14]

Singer Adis Zvekić stated that he first set up a band that served as a forerunner for Dubioza in 1993, when he was 13 years old. Due to the Bosnian War, there was no electricity; the band used to meet in the evenings and have jam sessions in the dark.[15] All band members declare themselves to have had a working-class background, being the children of workers and peasants.[13]

Though the group considered contending to represent Bosnia in the Eurovision Song Contest, they eventually decided against the idea as they would have to sign a contract obligating them to refrain from making any political statements. Instead, they recorded and released a highly critical and political song; Euro song.[16][15]

Dubioza kolektiv has been described as a "band without a genre".[28] The group's distinct eclectic musical style has been shaped by the members' dissimilar and varied musical influences and backgrounds.[5][4] The group never attempted to define a genre, preferring instead to focus on the ideas they wish to communicate to the audience and tailoring their music accordingly.[28][11][13][14]

The group's music often combines serious lyrical themes and content with satirical and humorous lyrical style and presentation, and a lighthearted melody and simple and dancable rhythm, attempting to appeal to as wide an audience as possible in disseminating its art and ideas.[29][11][14] As keyboardist Brano Jakubović put it: "[Our songs] prove that people can dance and think at the same time."[11]

The content of many Dubioza songs is addressed and especially pertinent to the wider Balkan region, addressing the shared experience of (post-)transitional societies, their collective consciousnesses characteristically marred by the perception of widespread corruption, of failed privatisation of socially owned property, and opportunistic political oligarchy.[5][6][8] With their expanding reach, the band has also begun to address social and political topics common to all Western and global contemporary society, often with lyrics written in English.[5][14][22][30][31][32] The group nonetheless consistently incorporates a "Balkan sound" into its music, in part to combat common prejudices based on stereotypes regarding the musical form of the region,[5] and to make their music instantly recognisable.[28][13]

The group has also adopted a distinctive on-stage image, featuring yellow-black dress replete with the band's, Ziggi rolling papers', and The Pirate Bay' logos, a tight stage choreography, lively and rambunctious performance antics, and proactive audience interaction.[33][34][29][35]

Members of the group embrace a "DIY" approach to music, writing, recording and producing it in their own studio, self-designing disc covers and websites, and carrying out most of the remaining band-related work like administering the band's social media presence and producing music videos largely by themselves.[28][5] The band has an internal contest where band members who successfully contribute lyrics receive a monetary reward so as to self-encourage the group's songwriting.[13]

Dubioza has consistently embraced socially and politically conscious texts, speaking out about injustices befalling ordinary people, political corruption, and attempting to raise public political awareness.[9][14][33][25] Band members believe that it is the duty of artists to utilise their media to promote positive ideas and values.[9]

The group's activism against "right-wing parties, xenophobia and fascism" is in part based on their home country's experience with the repercussions of such ideologies.[5][9][36]

Dubioza has supported various civic movements and non-governmental organisations (including by advocating them during live performances), having attended and performed at the 2012 Slovenian protests and 2015 Macedonian protests, and supported the Dosta! Roma awareness raising campaign,[9][14][33] the Refugees Welcome campaign,[36] a Slovenian environmentalist campaign to preserve the Mura River,[33] and a campaign to revive the Bosnian Dita Tuzla laundry detergent factory[37] wrecked by the Bosnian War and subsequent privatisation.[38] Dubioza also actively advocates for the legalisation of marijuana through their lyrics and during live performances.[33][39][11]

Dubioza kolektiv has made all their recent albums available for download free of charge on their website,[4] also uploading them onto The Pirate Bay. Their song Free.mp3 (The Pirate Bay Song) pays homage to the peer-to-peer website and its jailed founders, lampoons global pop culture and political figures including Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, and Barack Obama, and explores copyright in the digital age, internet privacy, and freedom of information. The song and music video were subsequently featured on Pirate Bay's homepage.[5][40][22][11]

Instead of monetising their songs through intellectual property, Dubioza has instead been committed to exploring alternate modes of generating income as artists, including promoting their live performances instead of record sales, marketing the group's merchandise, and soliciting cryptocurrency donations, while regarding the traditional mode of music industry income generation as "outdated" and unfair to the artists.[5][29] Dubioza believes in free exchange of art, ideas, and knowledge, with the audience voluntarily deciding whether they wish to monetarily reward the authors depending on whether they like their work.[41] The band has also stated they found releasing albums online has strengthened their bond with their audience.[4][11]

Dubioza has dedicated multiple concerts to charitable causes and donated the earnings, including to victims of 2014 Southeast Europe floods in Bosnia, and the children's Mostar Rock School.[5]

• Brano Jakubović – sampling, keyboards,[42] acoustic guitar(2004–)
• Vedran Mujagić – bass guitar[42](2004–)
• Almir Hasanbegović – vocals[42](2004–)
• Adis Zvekić – vocals[42](2004–)
• Senad Šuta – drums[42](2007–)
• Mario Ševarac – saxophone[42](2012–)
• Jernej Šavel – guitar[42](2015–)

• 2005 DAVORIN Award for Musical Innovation[42]
• 2005 DAVORIN Debut Album of the Year (“Dubioza Kolektiv”)[42]
• 2007 DAVORIN Music Video of the Year - urban/rock music (song “Dosta”)[42]
• 2009 INDEXI Blues, Dub, Reggae Album of the Year (“Firma Ilegal”)[42]
• 2011 INDEXI Rock & all album of the Year (“5 do 12”)[42]
• 2011 MTV Adria Best Adria Act[48][42]
• 2012 Golden Ladybug of Popularity Best Band of the Balkan[42]
• 2012 THE TROPHY OF BUCOVINA[42]
• 2012 WebAward.Me Best Personal Web[42]
• 2014 MTV Adria Video play Diamond Award (song “Kažu”)[42]
• 2014 SPLIT SPOT FESTIVAL Music Video of the Year (song “Kažu”)[42]

Their album Happy Machine was shortlisted by IMPALA (The Independent Music Companies Association) for the Album of the Year Award 2016, which rewards on a yearly basis the best album released on an independent European label.[49]

• List of Bosnia and Herzegovina patriotic songs

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dubioza kolektiv.

• Official website
• Dubioza kolektiv discography at Discogs